Chennai Super Kings(CSK) has finally broken their silence over Josh Hazlewood opting out at the last minute and said that the side was not prepared for it and no decision over his replacement has been taken as yet.
CSK on Josh Hazlewood Ruled out
“It is a sudden development and we were not prepared for it. We will look at various options before arriving at a decision. But we have our bases covered. So if the team management feels we don’t need a replacement, we might not seek one,” a senior CSK official told the Times of India on Thursday.
Amid the pandemic, Hazlewood has been in the bubble for 10 months already and hence was looking for a break and spend a couple of months in Australia before getting back in action.
Another Australian coming as a replacement? @ChennaiIPL
Hint – ‘Aussome’ soon in yellow.
— Nisarg Mistry (@nisarg1999) April 1, 2021
“It’s been a long 10 months in bubbles and quarantine at different times, so I decided to have a rest from cricket and spend some time at home and in Australia in the next two months,” Hazlewood was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.
CSK was in a similar scenario last season when veterans Harbhajan Singh and Suresh Raina pulled out of the tournament at the last-minute citing ‘personal reasons.’ The franchise suffered as they could not make the playoffs for the first time ever and to make things worse – they finished last.
It would be interesting to see if CSK opts for a replacement. As per the CSK official, they have their bases covered and if that is the case – they may not get a replacement.
Hazlewood is not the first cricketer this year to have pulled out from IPL 2021. Earlier on Wednesday, SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) all-rounder Mitchell Marsh had also pulled out of IPL 2021. Check the full list of players who withdraw from the IPL 2021.
